Demons of the Past
by nightingaleandrobin
Summary: Jade is a member of team Natsu, a simple job takes her into her past and with the problems that came with it. Travel with her as she faces the main reason she doesn't talk about her past. Takes place between the Tower of Heaven Arc and the Harvest Festival Arc. Rated T because I'm paranoid.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first Fairy Tail fan fiction and if you have any questions or comments please leave a review.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail but I do own Jade and her style of magic.**

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Chapter 1

A New Job

"It's all your fault you pyro" were the first words I heard walking into the guild. I shook my head in mock disbelief as Natsu and Gray started arguing once again. I slowly made my way to the bar to chat with Mira.

I sat down at the counter and waved to Mira while at the same time I started talking "Hello Mira, what started Natsu's and Gray's fight today?". She laughed and replied to my question "It's just the usual Jade, they just want to pick a fight". Once again I just shook my head. Mira laughed as she started making her way around the bar.

Mira finished her rounds at the bar and made her way back in front of me. I was barely paying attention to the bar anymore, I was too busy watching the argument quickly escalate to a fight. Before anyone could break anymore of the guilds furniture Erza put an end to Natsu's and Gray's fight. Sighing I started looking around the guild for a sign of Lucy, the only human member of our team that wasn't present. We needed to go on another job soon.

I frowned as I realized that Happy was missing, he never went anywhere without Natsu. I ran my fingers through my shoulder length pale purple hair, pushing it out of my face. Mira interrupted my train of thought "Do you want anything to drink Jade?" she asked. Smiling I asked for a glass of water, still wondering where Lucy and Happy were. Mira brought the glass over to me and then left to fulfill the other duties to running a bar.

I quietly sipped my water still looking for Happy and Lucy. They weren't anywhere in sight. I then heard some quick footsteps outside the guild door and Lucy ran in out of breath, she kept running until she got close to the rest of the team. Happy soon flew in through the door and landed on the ground next to Natsu's feet, I smiled as I realized he had been with Lucy, my guess was he had flown to get her while Natsu and Gray fought. I finished my water and headed toward my teammates. I almost laughed as I realized that I had finally caught up to Natsu and Gray in height.

As I neared my teammates I made sure my green eyes didn't linger on either Gray or Natsu. I had a crush on both boys and I worked really hard to make sure it didn't show. It did make it a little difficult to go on jobs but I had the crushes for years and had learned to work past it.

When I reached them I asked "What's our job this time?" Erza nodded her head in greeting before answering "The client want's us to take care of a monster that is terrorizing the area". Natsu punched his own hand and delivered his usual line "I'm all fired up now". Smiling we started to leave the guild hall when Gajeel stopped us.

I sighed knowing what was coming next, he was going to challenge me to a duel. As if on cue he spoke in a loud voice "Jade, I want to fight you, I'm sure I'm going to beat you this time". I sighed again "Now's not a good time Gajeel, we have to go meet a client, can this wait until I get back?". He of course thought I was afraid and kept trying to goad me. Natsu gently gave me a little shove "Go ahead and fight him Jade, it won't take you very long". I looked at Gajeel and told him "I will fight you, but can we please do it outside, I rather not destroy the guild hall". Thankfully he agreed to doing it outside.

Everyone headed outside, they loved this recurring battle. I knew why, I was the only one other than Natsu who had officially beaten Gajeel in a fight. The guild members formed a loose ring around the two of us and Gajeel took a ready stance ready to leap at me. Erza told us to start and he leapt at me. I immediately understood what he was going to do. He was going to fight me without his magic. Before he got close I pointed at him and used my magic. "Iron control" the words rang out as the silver seal appeared.

Gajeel jerked to a halt midair as I took control of his body. He practically roared "How? I didn't even use my magic, how can you still control my body even Totomaru couldn't control Natsu's fire when it wasn't summoned!?" I honestly felt bad for the Iron Dragon Slayer, his magic while fearsome to anyone else left him at a big disadvantage while fighting me. I used Metal Magic, a lost magic that allowed me to control metal, I also used Mineral Magic but didn't need to use it while fighting Gageel. I calmly answered "Totomaru couldn't control Natsu's fire when it wasn't summoned is because Natsu's fire wasn't there. It's different with you, you have iron there even if you don't summon it. Have you forgotten about your studs? They are made of iron and leaves me with a way to fight you even if you don't use your magic".

I quickly sent him into the air as high as my range of magic would let me and then I pulled the Iron Dragon Slayer into the ground creating a giant crater. The crater showed some bars of steel that had been buried in the ground. I quickly bent the steel to my will making them surround Gajeel's arms and legs and holding him to the ground. I then turned and joined my teammates. As we left the guild I had the steel unbend. I wasn't going to hold Gajeel there until I got back. I knew he would go back into training but I had to focus on my job not my mini rivalry. Looking back, I wish I had stayed in Magnolia. It would have stopped the others from learning about my past, my very painful past.


	2. Chapter 2

**Sorry about the delay and the fact that this chapter is so short. I promise that the next chapter will be longer. Please Review.**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jade, Inferno and the Town of Knowledge, I unfortunately don't own the fantastic anime Fairy Tail.**

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Chapter 2

Burnt Down

We reached the train station very shortly after leaving the guild. Natsu groaned at the thought of riding the train, but it was either the four hour train ride or a days worth of walking. Natsu would have happily chosen to walk if we did not need to meet the client as soon as possible.

Getting on the train heading toward Freesia Town we found some empty seats close together. Before the train started moving I turned toward Natsu "When it was just you and Happy, didn't you go to Freesia Town?" I asked. Natsu frowned slightly "I think so" Happy nodded his agreement "Aye, Natsu destroyed the historical church completing the job". Gray looked at Natsu annoyed "You flame brain is there a town that's standing you haven't destroyed part of". I really didn't think so. Lucy interrupted the conversation "Put some clothes on Gray". We looked at Gray to realize he had once again stripped. While he was putting on his clothes again the train started moving and Natsu immediately got sick.

Most of the train ride was uneventful. The usual happened, Gray kept randomly stripping, Natsu was on the verge of passing out, Erza was eating a piece of cake, Happy was eating fish, Lucy was reading, and I was looking out the window. About three hours into the train ride, we screeched to a stop. The conductor came on the intercom "We are experiencing technical difficulties, I apologize for the inconvenience. We will be moving in half an hour".

Natsu sat up, no longer motion sick "The train stopped, awesome!". Gray looked at him very annoyed "It's not great you flame brain, it means we are delayed meeting our client". I stopped looking out the window once seeing our surroundings. Lucy looked up from her book and out the window, "What happened out there?" she asked. Erza also looked out the window "It looks like a town was once standing, it's all burnt down though".

Immediately Gray blamed Natsu for the burnt down town. They almost got into a fight on the train but Erza ended that rather scarily. We were the only ones in our train car by now so Lucy summoned Crux to find information about the town outside the window. While Crux started searching I stared at my lap. Crux woke up from searching and made us all jump, except for Lucy.

Crux explained "The town you see out there was once known as the Town of Knowledge. The people there had vast libraries full of books on everything. They had almost as many books as the Library of Magic". Lucy looked shocked "They had almost as many books as the Library of Magic? That's a lot of books". Crux nodded then continued his explanation "Eight years ago a demon by the name of Inferno attacked and burned it down, there are no known survivors." He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and I understood he was being kind not telling everyone. "Have a good day Lucy, I hope this information was helpful." then he left. Lucy was still shocked "No known survivors in the town, the poor townspeople". Even Gray and Natsu stopped fighting, and Gray asked the question the rest of the team except for me was thinking "Do you think it was one of Zeref's demons?" and Erza nodded.

I have never told anybody this, but there is one survivor from the Town of Knowledge. I'm the last remaining person from my home town. Inferno is one of Zeref's demons and it burned down my home town killing everyone in my family. I looked away before I could start crying and the train started to roll away from a big part of my past.


	3. Chapter 3

**Here is chapter 3 and as I promised it is longer. I'm already working on chapter 4. Please Review!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jade, her magic and Inferno. Hiro Mashima owns the rest of this fantastic anime**

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Chapter 3

Part of the Past

We reached Freesia Town shortly after seeing the remains of the Town of Knowledge. Happy kept looking at me quizzically and I realized he had noticed my change in mood. I gave a smile to show him everything was alright and he returned the smile then started eating yet another fish. I was looking around the town and noticed a section of burnt grass by the train station. I turned my head so I was looking at the town and continued walking, then I stopped as I remembered something.

(Flashback)

"Jade, get your nose out of that book and come look at this". The book was closed and I stood up "What's on the ground that's so interesting Carol?" I asked my older sister. She laughed "I finally got you to stop reading! Look, this section of grass is all burnt and in the shape of a distorted footprint". Intrigued I walked over "You're right, I wonder what made it". Carol sighed and said wistfully "Maybe it was a dragon". I laughed "It's the wrong shape". She frowned "A girl's allowed to dream, is she not?".

(Flashback over)

I snapped out of my flashback once I realized that the rest of my team had stopped and were looking at me concerned. Lucy asked "Jade are you ok?" I smiled and came up with something on the spot "I'm just enjoying seeing what the town looks like before Natsu destroys it". Natsu scowled but Erza nodded "That makes sense, it definitely won't look the same way after we leave". "After everyone else started walking my smile faded, I hoped the section of burnt grass wasn't the same distorted footprint my sister had found that day in the meadow close to our town.

I ran to catch up with the rest of my team, looking around for other signs. The footprint on the ground was one of the many signs that Inferno was going to attack. Maybe the job from the mayor would give me time to look for more clues. Inferno had disappeared after destroying my town and I had tried to forget he even existed.

We soon found city hall and walked in. The mayor walked over and Erza spoke "We are wizards from Fairy Tail, we are here to complete the job you posted". The mayor nodded "Yes, but first I need you to prove to me you are not imposters". This was a standard practice, and one of the reasons we have guild marks. Lucy lifted up her right hand, Gray pulled off his shirt, Natsu did a half turn showing his left arm, Erza just stood there the mark is on her left arm clearly visible after all, Happy turned around and moved his backpack. I pulled up my sleeve on my right arm and half turned around, showing the dark purple mark on the back of right shoulder.

The Mayor nodded satisfied. "Very good, very good". I was trying hard not to laugh, the mayor was a short man in his fifties. He wore a tailored suit and a ridiculously tall hat, he even had a rather funny accent. Thankfully Erza was there or Natsu might have made fun of it. The mayor continued talking "This area has been terrorized by a monster, no one's seen it but there are signs everywhere. There are random burnt footsteps on the ground, the forest a little ways off, is now full of ash, and people who walk through the remains of the forest have gone missing. Please find and stop this monster".

I fully comprehended his words and time seemed to stop for me. If what the mayor was saying was the truth it meant he was back. The one who haunted my nightmares, who killed my family and burnt down my hometown was back and about to ruin other lives. All the signs the mayor had just told us about were signs that Inferno was back.

Erza led the way out of the town hall then turned toward us. "Lets head toward the remains of the forest, we might find more clues". The rest of us nodded, none of us dared to contradict Erza. We started toward the forest and Natsu pointed at one of the footprints "I think I found something." The rest of the group looked at it and Happy blurted out "What in the world created that?"

It was definitely the same shape as the one Carol found. It was about four feet long, three feet wide, with five claws in front and a long flat rounded blade on the back. My bet was the next foot print was half a mile away. I slightly clenched my fists as I saw the footprint on the ground.

(Flashback)

"Let's go see if we can find another footprint Jade." Carol exclaimed. Smiling I follow my sister. "What if we don't find anymore?" I asked after almost half a mile of walking. Carol was about to answer when she pointed at a smudge of black a little ways away "I bet that's it". We ran toward it and immediately were confused. "That's another left sided footprint" we said at the exact same time. She looked at me "Let's continue walking and lets see if the next one is a left foot". Nodding I followed her, after another half a mile we saw a smudge about 10 feet to the right. I smiled a little worried "I think whatever made these randomly bursts into flames as it walks, by now we should have found more than three footprints". She nodded, "That makes sense Jade, I knew all that reading you do would come in handy". She smiled then we started to run back to our small home.

(Flashback over)

Lucy stood up "Hey Erza, should we follow the footprints or head to the forest?" Erza decided to follow the footprints but I knew it wouldn't matter, Inferno would be heading toward the forest anyways. A single tear ran down my face and I wiped it away before anyone could see. I would tell the rest of my team soon, I just wasn't ready to share yet.


	4. Chapter 4

**Sorry for the delay, life has ben a bit crazy. Here is chapter four and please review!**

**Disclaimer: I only own Jade and Inferno.**

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Chapter 4

Clues

We soon reached the forest, the others were initially confused about the random footprints. Lucy, after a while came to the same conclusion I had eight years previously. Natsu gave one of the biggest grins I've ever seen on him. "That means it's a fire monster, this will be super easy". I wish it was that easy to defeat Inferno, I spent years studying him after he attacked. not much is known about him, but I learned that he also can consume fire like Natsu can. I would never tell Natsu this, but Gray stands a better chance of defeating Inferno then he does.

I followed the group in a trance, working hard so no one could tell what was going around my head. I snapped out of my trance like state once Erza started talking. "Lets, split up and search for clues. I want Natsu and Happy to look for clues in the western side of the forest. I want Lucy to look in the northwest section of forest. Gray, you get the northeast side, Jade will take care of eastern side and I'll do the north." Erza stopped for a second to make sure we each understood. Then Erza turned toward me "Jade can you make a mineral clone for each team, that way we have instant communication?"

Nodding I pulled four small jade stones out of a pouch I wore on my belt. I put the stones into a circle and stepped into the middle, concentrating. A silver seal appeared as I spoke the words "Mineral magic, jade growth". The minerals started to get a little rounder and larger, coming up to my waist. Once they were a useable size I changed the command and a slightly smaller silver seal appeared. In a low voice I spoke "Mineral Magic, jade clones". The lumps of rock slowly started to turn into tall skinny cylinders then started to form the shape of a girl, details were slowly added and soon I was surrounded by four fully clothed identical clones of me. "Here they are Erza". She nodded and a clone went to each person on the team.

I raced off by myself into the forty-five feet tall trees, but had to be careful. Creating multiple clones out of stone wasn't easy and left a massive headache to be dealt with. So far the rest of the team hadn't found much, just burnt down trees. I rubbed my forehead as I continued to receive thoughts from multiple clones. The words "burnt tree, fallen tree, there's a strange smell, pile of ash and Erza's scary" came from the other clones. The one with Erza and the one with Natsu were easy to pick out. Gray and Lucy were a little harder to figure out.

I stumbled and fell upon an area more burnt and misshapen than usual and realized Inferno had stepped there multiple times. There were quite a few fallen trees as well. That meant he was hiding nearby. Clenching my fists I got up on my knees to get a better look at the area.

As I was standing up a little girl ran past, and I called out to her. She didn't stop or even slow down, she just kept running. It didn't take a genius to figure out she was deaf. She kept running farther into the area of forest where I was at. She seemed so carefree that I had to smile.

I was searching in the area for a few more minutes when I heard a high pitch scream. It wasn't loud enough for the others to hear but it made my smile fade. That had to be the little girl. I raced toward the area of the scream and when I got there there was nothing but a smoking footprint. I sat down on a charred log and cried.

(Flashback)

I cleared my dinner dishes and turned toward my parents. "Mom, Dad can I go to the hill just outside of the town to read my book and to figure out where the constellations are for school?" They nodded their agreement and I smiled. Carol sighed "Lucky, I still have homework to do here". Smiling I hugged my parents and my sister. "See you in a little bit." I called back as I raced out the door carrying a book about mineral and metal magic with me.

I was sitting on the hill reading my book, when a scream pierced the air. I looked up and saw the first fire. Slowly house after house caught on fire and more screams tore through the air. I stood up to get a better viewpoint. My breath caught as I saw the demon, it was around forty feet tall. The legs and arms were wreathed in flames that would randomly appear. The torso had flames dancing across it and was covered in scales. The head was in the shape of a skull with long fangs protruding out.

As I watched the demon was walking through the flaming town and picking up the people shoving them into its gaping mouth. Soon the screams were gone and the only sound was the crackling of fires. I watched the demon turn and head toward the mountains. Every half mile, one of his legs would burst into flames. After he left it started to rain putting out the fires in the town.

I quickly ran down to the remains of the town hoping to find another survivor. I ran through the entire town searching among the ruins. Finally I tripped on a metal sheet that was semi-melted and almost unreadable. The sheet was inscribed with the words "Sisters forever - Carol and Jade". I stood up and ran from the remains of the town, tears rolling down my face and mixing with the rain falling from the sky.

(Flashback over)

I was still crying with my face in my hands a few minutes later. I wasn't paying attention and jumped when I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was Natsu and the rest of the team was standing close behind him looking at me concerned. Gray asked "Jade, what happened?" I started to wipe my tears away "sorry you guys, how long have you been here?".

Erza frowned slightly "Only a minute or two, we headed this way after the clones said something had happened over here". I looked down "Oh...I just lost a little girl to the demon".

Lucy looked shocked "Demon, I thought we were fighting a monster!". I whispered just loud enough to be heard "I have a lot to tell you guys".


	5. Chapter 5

**Sorry this chapter is one of the shorter chapters in this book, the next one should be longer. Also sorry for the delay but here it is.**

**Please Review! **

**Disclaimer: I only own Jade, her magic and Inferno. I do not own anything else.**

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Chapter 5

Now They Know

"We are searching for one of Zeref's demons, Inferno". Natsu looked confused "How do you know that Jade?" I looked at my feet and was quiet for several seconds. I didn't want to tell them why I knew, but they would have to know. I spoke very quietly "I've seen these signs before. The burnt down forest, the footprints, and the missing people".

Erza knelt down next to me and asked "Where did you see these signs?" I was very uncomfortable and whispered the answer so quietly only Natsu heard it. He looked at me confused unable to put the pieces together. Erza put her hand on my knee "Jade, you'll have to repeat that.". I spoke a little louder so they all heard my answer this time "I've seen them at my home town...The Town of Knowledge".

There was a range of facial expressions from the rest of the team. There was utter shock from Lucy. Gray and Erza were slightly shocked. Happy and Natsu were still trying to put the pieces together so they had a looks of confusion on their faces. Natsu started to speak "Where?". Gray turned on him, "The town we saw coming here, you flame for brains." Natsu started fighting with Gray. "How am I supposed to remember everything you ice cube." Then Natsu remembered and he said "Oh".

Lucy got over her shock at the news and asked me "Why didn't Crux know?". I hunched my shoulders while looking down trying to hide my tears and answered Lucy. "He did know, he also knew that I hadn't told you yet". Lucy nodded "That makes sense". I spoke again "I literally ran into Gray and Natsu about a year after Inferno attacked. I had put as much distance as I could between me and the remains of my home.

Erza spoke up now "Jade, do you know how to defeat Inferno?". I regretfully shook my head. "After he ate the people in the town and burned it down he walked off into the mountains and disappeared for eight years. All I know is Natsu is the best and the worst person to fight him. Inferno in covered in flames, but he can also consume flames." At this Natsu said "Who care's if he can eat fire, I'm going to beat him up anyways. He hurt a member of Fairy Tail". I whispered "Natsu" full of hope and fear all at the same time.

I felt silly for crying now so I wiped away my tears. "Inferno, h-he likes to attack the towns at night". Erza nodded, "Then we will be ready for him". I stood up and gave a weak smile. "I'm all fired up now." The team laughed at this, and I smiled a little wider. Lucy still looked nervous but I was also nervous, so I didn't blame her at all.

We headed back to the town and I was very glad I no longer had that weight on my chest. Of course there were somethings that had stayed hidden, that I hoped wouldn't come out. Like how I became the only survivor and how I was useless to save my family from destruction. I tightly clenched my fists; this time I was a Fairy Tail wizard and I wouldn't be standing on a hill watching the destruction of another town.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey Everyone! Sorry for the delay, I was having computer problems. Here is chapter 6.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anyone or anything but Jade, her magic, the Town of Knowledge, and Inferno.**

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Chapter 6

Wait

We walked back to town and my tears had finally stopped flowing. I was still a little unstable emotionally but I wasn't going to tell the rest of the team. It was my turn to tell my past anyways. The rest of the team already had. It was foolish of me to hope I wouldn't have to.

We reached town and found a place to eat. Luckily it was Natsu's turn to pay for the meal. All of our wallets suffered when it was our turn to pay for the food, because of the amount Natsu ate. We found a big enough table for the six of us and sat down. A waiter came over and took our order. He left a little dazed because of everything Natsu ordered.

Soon we had our food. Erza ordered cake, not to our surprise and the other non-surprising meal was Happy's, he ordered fish. Gray requested some odd meal called a Comberria, that was suppose to be eaten frozen. Lucy and I were more practical, we both asked for a pasta dish that was amazing. Natsu on the other hand got everything from many different meats, to pasta, to dessert, to who knows what else.

After we finished eating I left a tip for our poor waiter who had to carry all the dishes back to the kitchen. I stopped asking if they wanted my help because I quickly learned that it was against restaurant policy to allow guests to help, no matter how much it was needed or wanted.

It was only late afternoon so we decided to wander around town until we could spot Inferno. We headed to the 'historical' church until Natsu was shooed away. They had rebuilt the church and didn't really want it to be destroyed again. After laughing at Natsu's reaction we headed to the central square.

Lucy and I sat down on a bench, while Erza went to find some more cake. While she was gone Natsu and Gray started arguing again. By the time Erza came back Gray and Natsu were in a full out fight, Lucy and Happy were helping the townspeople evacuate from central square and I was trying to mend the now broken fountain. Thankfully it was made of steel but every time I would fix a section, the boys broke another section of the fountain. Unfortunately it got worse when Erza came back. A stray rock got flung at her by accident and it hit her cake knocking it to the ground.

I immediately acted and grabbed a clear lacrima from my bag of minerals. I hurriedly constructed a silver seal and said "Mineral magic, lacrima dome". The lacrima created a dome that I could sit in and stay protected. I made sure to hide in the dome because I was in the blast zone of Erza's anger. She leapt at Natsu and Gray, narrowly avoiding the top of my shelter. She tackled the boys to the ground and suddenly there was a sword very close to both of their heads.

Both boys gulped and stared at the swords hovering near their heads. They jumped when Erza implanted the two swords about 1cm away from their heads. To be fair, I jumped too when she did. Knocking them both on the head with her hands she stood up and the swords disappeared. Cautiously I lifted the dome and stepped out. Once I was sure the fight was over I shrunk the lacrima and put it back into my bag. Then I finished repairing the fountain, but the rest of the square was in ruins.

The Mayor came running over angrily "I thought you were here to complete a job not destroy the town!". I spoke up "I'm sorry sir, we have found the monster but we have wait before we can kill it. Next time it leaves its den, we will stop it. I'm sorry for the destruction...my teammates are a little bored so they started fighting." I bent the truth a little bit about Inferno. The mayor calmed down a little bit and nodded "Please contain the damage to a minimum, especially when Salamander is involved." At this comment Natsu half scowled, half smiled and Happy said "That's Natsu for you".

We walked away from the remains of central square with Erza standing between Gray and Natsu stopping any further arguments. There was two to three hours before sundown so we walked to the east side of town, the side of town that faced the forest. Once we got there and were stuck waiting, a nervous tension seemed to settle. We waited until it grew dark and I started pacing, worried about the outcome of the approaching battle. As the stars started to appear a glow started to appear in the trees growing a little brighter every few feet then dimming again.

My breath caught, I knew what was coming but I wasn't that prepared for it. More trees started to fall over and Inferno walked out of the forest. He was just as hideous as before; with the fangs protruding from a grinning, flaming skull shaped head. The torso was covered in thick scales that was laced with flames, and the arms and legs were randomly combusting.

The rest of the team was staring in horror at Inferno. Trying to lighten the increased tension Gray half-joked "He looks like Natsu". It worked, Gray's comment made everyone snap out of staring at Inferno. Lucy let out a strangled, nervous laugh and Natsu scowled. "Come over here you Ice Cube, I'm going to kick your teeth in".

I cleared my throat trying to remove the lump that was stopping my ability to speak. Finally removing the lump, I stopped the two boys "You two can fight each other after we deal with the problem at hand". They nodded and looked back at the demon who was rapidly approaching.


	7. Chapter 7

**Here is one of the longest chapters I have ever written. I hope you enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I own Jade, her home town and Inferno. Everything else is not owned by me.**

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Chapter 7

Destruction

Natsu lit on fire and scowled at the demon. The burst of fire attracted Inferno's attention. He walked the last few feet in two steps and I involuntarily took two steps back. He seemed so much bigger now than he had eight years ago. I clenched my fists my entire body shaking with fear. I had to stop Inferno, keep him from destroying more innocent lives.

I took a deep breath and reached into my pouch of minerals. I pulled out six small dark red gems. Erza spoke "Attack Inferno with everything you got, take him down fast." we nodded. Natsu leapt at Inferno with "Fire Dragon Iron Fist". It didn't do much damage but it allowed Natsu close enough to steal some of the flames surrounding Inferno. Lucy summoned Taurus who managed to whack Inferno with his ax a few times before getting lit on fire and having to retreat back to the Celestial Spirit World.

Gray used "Ice Make Lance". It was even less effective that Natsu's move considering most of the ice lances melted. Although one or two got through. Erza re-quipped into her Heaven Wheel's armor and sent about ten swords at the demon officially wounding it. Inferno howled in rage. My guess was he wasn't used to getting attacked.

Looking at the six gems in my hand and sighed. I threw the gems up in the air and created a silver seal. In a level but quiet voice I said, "Mineral Magic, ruby arrows". The arrows tore through Inferno's arms. It wasn't a major move but it was more effective than some of the others I could have chosen.

Natsu lept at Inferno but the demon swung an arm hitting Natsu in the stomach and sending him flying. Happy flew after Natsu as we heard a few things getting destroyed. Lucy spoke up in an exasperated tone of voice, "I was hoping we wouldn't be destroying something this time". Gray rolled his eyes, "If we wanted that to ever happened we would never have brought Natsu along".

Giving a small smile I pulled some Iron from my belt and used the command, "Iron control". I made the little ingots of iron barrage the parts of Inferno that weren't covered in fire. He roared in anger and swatted away the ingots melting them. Somewhere in the background I heard Lucy muttering, "Aquarius...no water, Cancer...won't work, Taurus...already used, Sagittarius...day off, Loke...maybe, Virgo...best shot". Next thing I knew Virgo was behind me, I knew because she said, "Princess is it punishment time" which set Lucy off as usual.

By now Natsu had come back and was really mad. He had Happy drop him on top of Inferno and Natsu started sucking the flames off of Inferno. It was a really weird sight, and I heard Natsu mutter, "These flames taste awful". I looked over to Erza and Gray who were barraging Inferno with attacks, and I was glad to see they were still ok.

I looked up and saw Virgo finish digging a pitfall trap that judging by the time it took her to get out of was deeper than Inferno was tall. I got an idea and shouted to be heard above the noise of the battle, "Push Inferno into the pit back there. We can contain him long enough to defeat him". The others nodded and Natsu jumped off Inferno's back so Happy could catch him.

I ran next to Gray, "Do you have enough magic power to create a floor of ice?". Gray nodded, but he said, "It will melt before we can get this demon into the hole". I nodded, "I know, that's why I'm going to help". Grabbing all of the lacrima I had in my mineral bag I tossed them across the ground and created another silver seal, "Mineral magic, lacrima floor". The minerals started to connect and created a floor that once the ice melted would be slick. Gray gave a rare smile and created an ice floor. Erza hit Inferno with her Lightning Empress armor attack and Happy tossed Natsu into Inferno pushing him back.

With a roar Inferno fell into the giant pit Virgo created and there was a good five feet left above his head. I reached my hand into my mineral bag and made a mental note to restock. I grabbed some diamonds hoping that I'd not use all my magic power and created diamond restraints for Inferno; so he couldn't climb out.

Natsu got a bit pre-occupied in the rush of battle and jumped into the air. Before we could stop him he did, "Fire Dragon Blazing Flame". As we all guessed would happen Inferno ate his magic move. Gray yelled, "Natsu, you idiot. We just contained him!". Erza re-quipped into her Fire Empress armor as Inferno broke the restraints with new found strength.

In the process of climbing out of the trap, Inferno completely destroyed it. The six of us backed up slowly trying to figure out something to do. I mumbled under my breath, "So far he is the hardest demon to defeat". The others nodded and scattered when Inferno swung his arm.

While his arm was returning by his side I wasn't fast enough moving away and got hit in the side with his arm. It sent me flying at an angle so I crashed into a house on the outskirts of Freesia Town. I laid there for a minute while I caught my breath. I got out of the now ruined house and took off running towards where my teammates were still locked in battle.

I arrived to find Natsu once again on top of Inferno while Erza and Gray sent attack after attack towards Inferno. Lucy was using her whip but now Loke had also joined the fight. I looked around for Happy and saw him in the sky eating a fish. He was probably staying there until Natsu needed him.

I looked into the pouch on my belt that held my minerals. I had exhausted my supply of: diamonds, rubies, and lacrima; and my supply of jade was almost depleted. I only had a few gems of each of the remaining birthstones. My pouch of metals was almost completely full but it's really hard to control melted metals.

Sighing softly I grabbed one of the opals in my supply and created a sword. It's not my favorite weapon, but Erza has been teaching me how to swordfight and I'm pretty good at it. I advanced toward Inferno and sliced at his legs a few times. Being around Natsu and Gray since I was 10 has given me a pretty high heat tolerance and a high tolerance for cold.

After a few minutes I backed up sweating. The fire surrounding Inferno was ridiculously hot. I reached my hands into my mineral pouch and hesitated. I was running low on almost everything. Sighing I grabbed all but one of my lapis lazuli and created a thin armor that would protect me from getting burned. Then I continued trying to make Inferno back away from the town.

We actually needed Juvia, but she was on a job on the other side of Fiore. I then remember the fountain that I had repaired earlier. I called to my teammates, "I have an idea, hold him back for a little longer". They nodded but I knew that I would have to hurry, almost all of us were all running low on magic power.

I ran to the fountain and grabbed all the steel I had in my bag with metals. Opening a small section of the fountain I stretched the steel as far as it would go then I added all my steel. It barely made it to the edge of town but it brought enough water for what I had in mind.

I shouted, "Lucy, we only have one shot at this. I need you to call her.". Happy understood and his eyes went wide. Through a mouthful of fish he exclaimed, "Her! Are you out of your mind Jade!". I shrugged, "Probably" and it didn't reassure him. Lucy ran over and pulled out Aquarius's key. I stepped back still in my armor in case this didn't work. Lucy took a deep breath and summoned Aquarius.

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**I know, I'm slightly insane for having her summoned. 3:)**


	8. Chapter 8

**Sorry about the delay. Here is the next chapter of my story, please review!**

**Disclaimer: I own Jade, Inferno, the mayor, and the Town of Knowledge. The rest of Fairy Tail is not owned by me.**

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Chapter 8

It's Over

Aquarius appeared and she was as angry as ever, which wasn't a big surprise. After bickering with Lucy for a while Aquarius did what Lucy asked her to do. Inferno and the six of us ended up in the blast. I don't know how I got there considering I was behind Aquarius.

I ended up at the bottom of the pile next to Erza. Gray and Natsu were on top of us. Lucy and Happy were on top of them. Inferno was laying with his fire extinguished a few feet away. Natsu quickly got out of our unplanned dog pile.

He jumped on top of Inferno his own fist covered in fire. I watched as he went to punch the demon and in that second I knew what he was thinking. He was going to make Inferno pay for hurting one of his guildmates. I watched as Natsu punched the weakened demon square in the chest. We all heard Inferno's roar of pain and anger and we heard it grow silent.

Slowly Inferno started to disappear in a red light and deep with in our hearts we knew he was going back into the book that had brought him into creation. I smiled and tears started flowing freely. I was so happy that I didn't have to worry about Inferno any longer. I remembered something Carol would tell me when I was going through hard times. She would always say, "Moving on doesn't mean you forget about things. It just means that you accept what happened and continue living".

I laughed for the first time all day, I had partly moved on from this tragedy a long time ago, and now that Inferno was gone I could finally make a full recovery. I shrank the sword that was laying next to me and the armor and put them in my mineral bag. I then let on to my crush and ran over to Natsu. I tackled him in a hug and told him, "Thank you, thank you so much". He smiled, "We stick by our friends Jade, that's what makes us members of Fairy Tail". I smiled again.

Lucy spoke up, "Guys...I think we went a bit overboard. I turned to look at the town then at the forest. There was a few houses in the town that were demolished and the fountain wasn't a fountain any more. The forest close to the town had suffered the most damage. It wasn't even there anymore. I shrugged as I re-summoned all the gems that hadn't been been shattered. Thankfully the woods next to Magnolia were full of minerals and precious gems.

With a smile I answered, "It's not so bad this time, we didn't destroy an entire building and Inferno had destroyed most of the forest anyways". Lucy sighed exasperated but she gave a small smile anyways. The mayor ran from the shelter of one of the intact buildings. "What was that thing?". Erza stepped forward, "That was the monster that we were hired to stop. Only it was one of Zeref's demons, not an ordinary monster". The mayor was very shocked and because it wasn't an ordinary monster he forgave us (mostly) for the destruction. We collected the 3,000,000 jewel reward and split it into six portions giving us each 500,000 jewel. We stayed the night in one of the lounges because it was really late, and planned to leave on the 7:30 train the next morning.

Erza, Lucy and I shared a room. Lucy after a few minutes hesitation asked, "What was your family like Jade?". I was a little shocked and it took me a minute to even formulate a response. After a few stuttered attempts I finally managed to create a coherent sentence. "My mom was a librarian and even though she worked with books all day when my sister and I were little she would read to us when she got home. My dad was the head architect of the town and he taught me how to draw a little bit. My sister was a lot like you Lucy, she loved word puzzles and historic books." I trailed off towards the end. I swallowed the lump in my throat and finished talking about Carol, "I loved books more than she did so she would always tease me for reading so much, at the time it was annoying but I really miss it".

Lucy looked down, "I'm sorry for asking, I should know how difficult it is to talk about the ones we've lost.". I gave a half-hearted smile, "It's ok, I needed to tell someone, I've learned that you can't keep all your feelings hidden.". Erza put a hand on my shoulder, "You don't need to, the guild is your family now and we'll always be there for you". I gave a full smile this time, "I know, and I'm here for everyone in the guild.".

We headed to bed and I slept soundly. The nightmares of Inferno attacking my town didn't visit my sub-consciousness like they did most nights. That's when I finally realized that I had put Inferno in my past, that I wasn't afraid of him anymore, and that I no longer had to watch me lose the ones I loved without being able to help.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! I want to thank everyone who has stayed with me through this story. We are at the last chapter.**

**Please review or ask any questions.**

**Disclaimer: I only everything about Jade and Inferno**

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Chapter 9

Epilogue and Memories

We got back to the guid with minor difficulty. Erza did have to drag Natsu onto the train and I felt really bad that he had to ride the train. Gray had stripped at one point, and Lucy had smacked him because he had stripped down to his boxers. I sighed but smiled, they may be crazy but they were my teammates and my family.

Once we were walking towards the guild I brought up the Harvest Festival. "The Harvest Festival is coming up in less than a month, does anyone know what we are doing this year?". Lucy asked before I could get an answer, "What is the Harvest Festival?". Natsu answered Lucy's question, "It's a big festival that's held every year and the guild opens booths and activities. The best part of the festival is the Fantasia parade in which only Fairy Tail Wizards can participate in.".

Erza nodded then answered my question, "No idea, but you know how Master is. He'll keep it a secret for another week or two before telling us.". I smiled and Gray added, "That and he always changes a few things last minute". Erza spoke up again, "Jade, didn't you join the guild right before the Harvest Festival seven years ago?" I nodded, "Yes, I was 11 the first time I participated. I joined the guild about a week before the Festival".

(Flash back)

I was running around Clovis Town, getting from one job to another. The bag on my back was really light, it had to be. It held two outfits and the money I had made for a year. I didn't have a lot of extra cash considering I still had to sustain myself and most people weren't willing to employ an eleven year old. The one belonging I had been able to keep from my past was under my arm, I wasn't willing to take the chance of losing it.

Rounding a corner I literally ran into two boys who were arguing. I fell backwards and hit the ground, my book falling from my grasp. Hastily I got to my feet embarrassed and started apologizing. I finally looked at the two boys who I had ran into. They couldn't have been that much older than me.

The taller of the two boys was in only his boxers and had a necklace as well. His ink colored hair was the same color as his eyes. The other boy had a white scarf around his neck as well as a full outfit. His hair was pink and his eyes jet black. I was suddenly embarrassed about my own appearance. My hair was tangled and reached down to my lower back, and I now had dirt on my clothes.

The taller boy bent down and picked up my book that I had dropped, then he handed it to me. I thanked him and before I could leave he asked, "Do you practice the magic that book teaches?". I answered, "Kind of, I'm not very good though." The pink hair boy looked at the book, "Oi, What guild are you from?".

A half whisper escaped my mouth, "I haven't joined a guild." and the pink hair boy's mouth dropped open. The taller boy elbowed his companion and hissed, "Don't be rude candlestick." then asked me, "What's your name? My name is Gray and my rude companion is Natsu.".

I smiled in greeting, "My name's Jade" after a few moments hesitation I asked, "Would you guys like lunch?". Gray started speaking, "You really don't have too…" but Natsu interrupted, "Awesome, that sounds great!" Gray sighed, "You have no idea what you got yourself into".

He was right, I didn't have a clue. I had made roughly 1,000 jewel that day and lost all of it in that single meal. I stared a little bit, and was really surprised. Natsu asked, "What can you do with your magic Jade?". I blushed a little bit and replied, "I'm not very good" Gray gave a smile, "You can't be that bad". I gave a weak smile and picked up one of the forks and sensed the tin in it. Laying it flat on my hand I created a small silver seal and said, "Metal Magic, tin control". Focusing on keeping the fork from going out of control I lifted it above my hand and had it spin my free hand I then grabbed it and put it back on the table.

Natsu spoke up, "That's really cool. With a lot of practice you could be pretty powerful. He looked at Gray and something passed between them. Natsu spoke again, "Did you know Gray and I are wizards?". I shook my head and asked what magic they practiced. Natsu grinned broadly, "I practice fire dragon slayer magic. Igneel taught it to me". My eyes widened, "I've read about that magic, it's really impressive you are able to use it".

Gray smiled again, "I practice ice-maker magic". I asked, "Dynamic or Static?" He seemed impressed and answered, "Static". I hesitated a minute and asked, "What guild?". With wide smiles they said in unison, "Fairy Tail". I smiled again, but was to nervous to ask if I could join.

They half-read my mind I think because Gray asked, "Would you like to join the guild?". I nodded with a huge smile on my face. Natsu grinned, "Let's go then". He grabbed one of my hands and Gray grabbed the other and they half-pulled me along. I laughed for the first time in a year and followed them. Natsu looked at me and said, "Wait until you see the guild hall, it's awesome". Gray spoke up, "It is awesome, just be careful of Erza when we get there, she's scary". I nodded and followed the two young boys, grateful for their help.

(Flashback over)

I looked at Gray and Natsu now, both had changed so much from that day in town. Smiling I thought one day I would tell them how I felt, but for now I was just going to enjoy their friendship. Lucy asked me, "How did you join the guild? I don't think I've ever heard the story.". I shared a smile with Gray and Natsu before replying, "Gray and Natsu brought me to the guild about two weeks before the harvest festival that year and I joined a week after they brought me to the guild.".

Erza smiled, "The funny thing is all the members who were young got put on the same float. Gray and Natsu almost destroyed the float competing to see who could complete the best magic move.". Lucy shook her head, "That sounds like them.". I smiled, "Yes it does, I spent the last fifteen minutes of the parade holding the float together.". The girls laughed while the boys half scowled and half smiled.

We reached the guild and I then left to head to the East Forest. I walked for a good hour collecting minerals along the way. I climbed to the top of one of the mountainous areas and looked at Mongolia. I smiled; the guild stood tall by the coast line and I could see tiny figures fighting in the back yard. I watched the attacks which from here you could see that it was ice and fire. After the fight ended I headed back to town.

Once I reached the guild Gajeel stopped me, "Jade I demand a rematch. I feel confident I can beat you one of these times.". I smiled, "Ok Gajeel I'll fight you, but I don't plan on losing". We headed to the back yard and I smiled wider. The other members may be quirky but that's what makes them so special. I had a family now and I didn't plan on losing them, I would fight beside every member of the guild and I would fight for them.

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**Sorry Gajeel fans, but Jade beats him. Thanks for reading!**


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